Peaches

If you’re lucky, you can buy some really good peaches at your local farmer's market, but, as is often the case, you can waste a lot of money at the supermarket buying peaches that rot from the center or are completely tasteless – two good reasons to grow your own!

The selection of peach varieties is immense. Peaches can be white, yellow or red and there are different varieties to suit different climates. The newest developments enable warm winter growers to not only grow peaches, but to spread out their production from May to August! The Pride series from Zaiger is our offering for this particular climate. Start your harvest with May Pride, then Eva’s Pride, Mid Pride and then August Pride. These are all delicious, yellow freestone types. Clingstone peaches are great for canning, but in the modern world, few of us have the time for such activities.  Hence, clingstone peaches have not been popular in the home orchard market. We do offer one clingstone variety, Indian Blood Cling, because it’s so unique! The skin is red and so is the rich flavored flesh.

One of the newer phenomenons in the peach world is the “saucer” peach. The first variety we offered was Donut (also known as 'Stark’s Saturn'). This is a small, flat, white fleshed peach, slightly indented in the center, that has a hint of almond.  (It’s interesting to note that peaches and almonds are closely related and grow on some of the same root stocks.) The next saucer variety we acquired was Sweet Bagel. This is a yellow fleshed peach with classic peach flavor. And last. but not least (it’s a very large peach!), came Galaxy. This variety can weigh up to 1/3 pound. The light skin is accented with a red blush and the flesh is white, delicate and aromatic.

Any fruit tree can lend beauty to the garden if it is pruned in a pleasing way, but many fruiting peaches have the additional bonus of spectacular flowers. Some prime examples are Double Jewel, May Pride, Red Baron and Saturn. You can also enjoy peach flowers without the fruit (see our selection in “Flowering Trees”).

As with nectarines, peach trees are susceptible to the diseases peach leaf curl and brown rot of stone fruit. To help prevent them, do a good cleanup at the end of the season. If you live in an area where these diseases are common, spray copper sulfate two to three times during the dormant season.  There are peach varieties that have been found to be resistant to peach leaf curl such as Frost and Indian Free.

There are so many wonderful ways in which to use fresh peaches! They make a great morning treat on your cereal or over pancakes or waffles. Add a few drops of rum or kirsch over peaches for an ice cream topping, or better yet, make your own homemade peach ice cream! Don’t care for that fuzzy skin? simply submerge the peaches in boiling water for about one minute and the skin peels off in an instant.

The history of the peach is somewhat surprising – the peach originated in China. It got its name from the Greeks on the false assumption that it was from Persia (the botanical name for peach is Persica). Peaches arrived in England in the middle of the sixteenth century.  In 1629, seeds (or pits) were sent to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Now peaches are grown throughout the United States with California, Georgia and South Carolina being the top producers. Nectarines are grown primarily in California and sold only as fresh produce, whereas peaches are also grown for canning purposes.

Peach Pie
Here’s an easy recipe for peach pie.

- Pie Crust

• Make a crust using canola oil: Blend 1 cup of flour with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon sugar and 1/3 cup oil.
• Mix in 1 ½ tablespoons of milk. Form into a ball and refrigerate approximately ½ hour.
• Roll dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap.

- Peach Filling

• Mash 2 cups of peaches, add ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of water and 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch.
• Cook until thickened.
• Cool.
• Mix 2 cups of raw peaches with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and place in unbaked pie shell.
• Pour the cooked peaches on top and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.

This same recipe can be used to make Strawberry Pie.

CITATION (Cit.)
Peaches and nectarines dwarfed to 8-14 ft.; apricots and plums dwarfed to 12-18 ft. Very tolerant of wet soil; not drought tolerant (induces early dormancy in dry soil) so needs very regular water in hot climates. A top dressing of mulch can help maintain soil moisture. Resists root knot nematodes. Induces heavy bearing at a young age. Very winter hardy. Strong and well anchored. Pat. No. 5112 (Zaiger).

NOTE: For areas with very hot, dry climates, we do not recommend Citation root stock. We have had reports from customers in Texas and Arizona who have had much better luck with Nemaguard. We realize some of the varieties are only offered on Citation and, if you wish to plant those varieties, be sure to supply adequate irrigation.

LOVELL (Lov.)
Vigorous, standard rootstock for plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, prunes, almonds. More tolerant of wet soils than Nemaguard; also more cold hardy. Susceptible to nematodes in sandy soils. Provides good anchorage and high degree of disease resistance. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 15-25 ft.; size can be controlled further with summer pruning.

NEMAGUARD (Nema.)
Standard rootstock for nectarines, peaches, apricots, plums, prunes, almonds. Vigorous, resists root knot nematodes. Excellent for well drained soils. In heavy or poorly drained soil, plant on mound or hill. May not be winter hardy below 5°F. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 15-25 ft., but size can be controlled further with summer pruning.